The intrinsic need for personal connection is more essential than ever  
 
“The increase of social isolation over the last two years has challenged the way we engage with communities. Nothing will ever replace human connection and face-to-face engagement. It remains the most effective way to listen to the important voices of the community – without risking technical error or misunderstanding.”
– Suzanne Von Kolpakow, Becscomm Consultant
 
When it comes to getting to the core of the problem, nothing is more meaningful than personal interaction. Communicating in-person is essential for building trust and understanding the emotions underneath our concerns and behaviours. Where reasonable and safe to do so, go the extra mile for community members and stakeholders by meeting them in person.
 
Digital tools will stand the test of time if we use them with intention
 
“Digital tools that were necessary during the pandemic have now become part of our permanent engagement toolkit. In some cases, tools like digital breakout rooms and online whiteboards have improved community participation by encouraging interaction for people who may feel unheard in face-to-face setting that can favour the loudest voice.”
– Amanda Mikhael, Becscomm Senior Consultant 
 
Now that we’ve mastered the basics, we can use digital tools and techniques more intentionally. The key is to think about the additional value they can add to both an audience and an engagement program, and use them to your advantage.
 
Before including digital tools in your engagement design, ask questions such as: Is your tool inclusive and accessible? Will everyone have an opportunity to be involved? How can you ensure the tool will provide meaningful and usable results?
 
The power of self-compassion will lead to better outcomes for everyone  
 
It’s no secret that almost everyone felt symptoms of burnout over the last two years. This affected not only our performance, but also our patience, empathy, and responsiveness to others. All traits essential to doing our job well.
 
From my own experience when I wasn’t meeting my own needs, it was much harder to collaborate and communicate effectively with others. Something as simple as leaving the phone at home and going for a 30-minute walk made a huge difference.
 
Take some time out each day to do something solely for yourself and ensure your needs are met. Then you can tackle the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. This can empower how you communicate with others.
 
Our Managing Director, Rebecca Spencer, is a fierce advocate for addressing the very real issue of burnout in our industry. She provides her top 6 tips for staying ahead of burnout in this previous blog: https://becscomm.com.au/2019/12/09/protests-picket-lines-and-personal-attacks/

If you’d like to learn more about how we can provide thoughtful engagement and communication strategies for your next big project, click here.

Did you know that almost 45% of Australian adults have difficulty reading?

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), around one in eight Australian adults are functionally illiterate, reading at an OECD Level 1 or below. That means about 12% of adults may not be able to read bus or train timetables or understand their payslip.

It’s a shocking statistic but also an important issue for communications folk because when people don’t understand the information presented to them they are likely to feel excluded and disengage.

If your goal is to keep people properly informed about your project (which is critical if your work impacts them directly), or if you want to encourage participation in engagement activities, it is so important that the way you communicate is both accessible and inclusive.

There are many reasons why people may not be able to access, read or understand the information you communicate – disability, access to higher education and English proficiency are just a few.

Accessible and inclusive communication benefits everyone; it doesn’t only apply to people who have difficulty reading. In fact, people who read at university level or higher are about as likely to engage with overly wordy or unnecessarily complicated information as people who can’t read at all.

Accessible and inclusive means your message meets everyone’s communication needs. It is designed so that all audience members understand the information you are sharing.

It doesn’t mean dumbing things down or leaving out important information.

Here are some quick tips for accessible and inclusive project communication:
– Never (ever) assume a person’s level of awareness or understanding, or their ability to access and read information.
– If it is practical to do so, ask people how they would prefer to communicate with you.
– For written communication that requires or invites a response, include both email and phone contact information to support individual communication needs or preferences.
– Keep sentences and paragraphs short and stick to one idea at a time.
– Use visual aids and infographics where possible.

When planning written communication activities, consider:
– What is the purpose of this communication?
– Who needs this information? Why?
– Will everyone be able to access it? How?
– Is it clear and free from jargon and slang?
– If technical or industry terminology can’t be avoided, is it properly explained?
– Does everyone have the technology required to access it?
– Can alternative formats be made available (for example printed and digital, different languages, large print, audio)?
– If digital, does it meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)?
 
Making sure your communication is accessible and inclusive for all members of the community is simple; but like so many things, it’s not easy. Becscomm consultants have extensive experience in project communication and community engagement on a range of construction and infrastructure projects across all communities.

Get in touch to see how we can help your project engage and connect with the community in more meaningful ways.